“It’s because of her that I was able to live,” I say. Emily is sitting in the front row her eyes red with tears. She’s wearing a black dress, and when I look at her I almost see Mom. Mom had always loved Emily. Maybe as much as I do.

“She always showed me right versus wrong. Well before dad died. . . When Dad died,” I take in a quick breath looking down at the podium. I close my eyes, holding back my tears.

“When Dad died,” I lift my head back up, my eyes meeting Emily’s. She nods once, wiping a tear, “She fell. She fell so far, too far. . .and then I was the one caring for her. I did my best to show her a love that was passionate. A love that showed just how much she meant to me. . . She meant the whole world. The whole galaxy, the whole universe.”

I feel the small tingle of tears crawling out of my eyes. I try to blink them away, taking a deep breath.

I let out a small sad laugh, “And now she’s gone. Gone, and I’m still here. With no one to care for, with no one to care for me. . . Mom always had, even after Dads death when she broke. She still cared, she still tried. She showed affection and tenderness better than anyone I’ve ever met. But you can’t keep trying forever. Sometimes the only path that you can walk down is giving up,” I keep my eyes on Emily, she looks down, choking out a small sob.

“There was this one time. Years and years ago. . . Mom told me something, she said.

To live a perfect life, you don’t need to have flown to the moon or walked around the whole world. You just have to live a life with no regrets. I’ve held on to that, I always will. I love you Mom, I will always love you.”